Final Thoughts
Final Thoughts
Written by John Packard
July 1, 2019
A note this morning from one of my scrap friends: “Btw, we are not getting too excited just yet, the scrap market is clearly beginning to bottom a bit. Should strengthen a little in August.”
I am getting mixed messages on lead times, but I think the consensus is lead times have moved out and in some products (not named hot rolled) they have moved out more than one week.
We got a slew of NexGen Award Nominations late last week. On Monday, I noticed the nomination website had the incorrect deadline for new nominations. The deadline is Aug. 1, 2019, not the end of June.
Here are some of the companies that have already submitted nominations for the 2019 SMU NexGen Leadership Award sponsored by the Steel Manufacturers Association: Tempel Steel Company, KW Industries, Inc., Metalwest, Leeco Steel (2), Imperial Manufacturing, Windsor Door Manufacturing and Eagle Steel & Metal Products. These are the nominations that have gone through the nomination portal. If you made a nomination, but don’t see your company name listed, please contact Events@SteelMarketUpdate.com to make sure we have your nomination in hand. If you would like to make a nomination – the deadline is no later than Aug. 1, 2019, and you can do so by going to www.SMUAward.com If you have any questions about the nomination process, contact Events@SteelMarketUpdate.com or send me an email at John@SteelMarketUpdate.com
Regarding lodging for the 2019 SMU Steel Summit Conference: As of Monday afternoon, the Atlanta Airport Marriott Gateway Hotel (next to convention center) is completely sold out as is the SpringHill Suites Gateway hotel. Our room block at the Renaissance Gateway is sold out. However, there may be rooms available at the hotel for about $400/night. For $159 per night you can stay at the Atlanta Airport Marriott Hotel, which is one exit south of the convention center. There were 59 rooms still available at the Atlanta Airport Marriott Hotel as of Monday. Click on this link or call 888-239-1203 and ask for the Steel Market Update room block at that hotel. We will be providing a free shuttle from the Atlanta Airport Marriott Hotel to the Georgia International Convention Center during the conference. There is also a free shuttle from the hotel to the airport.
During the evenings you will want to visit the Marriott Gateway and Renaissance hotels as the lounges in these hotels tend to be full of steel people all evening and well into the night. We consider the Marriott Gateway hotel to be the host hotel, so if you are looking to meet someone new, that is a good place to start.
New registrations over the past few days for the conference include: Shelter Logic Group, Wastequip LLC, Dalco Metals, Fulton County Processing, General Stamping & Metalworks, Hubbell, Wabash National Corporation, Crown Equipment, Gateway Terminal, PLS Logistics, BMG Latin America Inc., CAN-PAC, Manchester Tank & Equipment Company, Liberty Steel, Metal Processing Corporation, Viking Global Investors, Wheatland Tube and Bain Capital.
If you would like to register for the 2019 SMU Steel Summit Conference, please click here, go to www.SteelMarketUpdate.com/Events/Steel-Summit or contact us at Events@SteelMarketUpdate.com or Paige Mayhair at 724-720-1012.
Registration is now open for the next Steel 101: Introduction to Steel Making & Market Fundamentals workshop, which will be in Cincinnati, Ohio, with a tour of the Nucor Gallatin mill. See prior article for links to registration or go to www.SteelMarketUpdate.com/Events/Steel101
Another note to let you know SMU will not be publishing on Thursday, the Fourth of July, or Sunday, July 7, due to the holiday. Our next issue will be next Tuesday.
Should you want to register for either the SMU Steel 101 workshop or SMU Steel Summit Conference and you are having issues, please reach out to Events@SteelMarketUpdate.com and the London office can help you over the holidays.
For those of you in the United States, enjoy your Fourth of July Holiday.
As always, your business is truly appreciated by all of us here at Steel Market Update.
John Packard, President & CEO
John Packard
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Final Thoughts
The whole SMU team is packing up our laptops and our SMU polos/cardigans, loading up the PowerPoint slides, and preparing to make the trek down to Florida for the Tampa Steel Conference. There will be plenty to talk about!
Final Thoughts
From one group of folks, I’ve heard that Trump might not wait until Feb. 1 – the date he threatened on to place tariffs on China, Canada, and Mexico. They say he could act as soon as Friday. And then there are those who don’t think anything will happen before April 1. That’s the deadline for Commerce, Treasury, and USTR to submit key reports on “America First Trade Policy” to President Trump.
Final Thoughts
Trump made a clarification in a speech on Monday. Previously, he had declared the word “tariff” the most beautiful word in the dictionary. No longer.
Final Thoughts
President Donald Trump on Sunday hammered Colombia with 25% tariffs and threatened to increase them to 50%. Trump in a post on Truth Social said he took the action not because of a trade dispute but because the South American nation had refused to accept planes carrying deported immigrants. The president also cited "national security" concerns, just as he did to justify 25% Section 232 tariffs on steel in his first term. Even the 50% threat echoes his first term. Turkish steel, like that of most nations, was assessed a 25% tariff in March 2018. Trump doubled Turkey's tariff to 50% via a tweet in August of that year over a matter unrelated to steel.
Final Thoughts
We surveyed many of you this week and asked what you wanted to see from the new Trump administration. Responses were varied but fell largely into three groups: tariffs and trade policy, the Nippon-U.S. Steel deal, and those who are concerned about too much government sway in steel. Some also expressed hope that President Trump would continue the infrastructure spending that began under former President Biden.